Shanghai Scuffle
by Half Batch
Summary: Umbrella's back at it, this time they've set up a lab under Shanghai, the most populated city in the world. If the weapon escapes over 14 million people will be infected within hours. The BSAA sends in a new pair of agents to stop it. Can they?
1. Chapter 1: Trapped

Delilah ran through the barely lit cement corridors which twisted deeply and sharply, leaving strong shadows at every corner. The overhead lights had burned out, short circuited from the lightning storm. The same lightning storm which released Beta Project 4 from its cell. Delilah didn't think about it, couldn't bring herself to think about it. Right now she cared only about Anna, still stuck in her room and most likely terrified. She had to get back to Anna.

She ran harder, the flashlight's beam jumping wildly. It would illuminate a desk or a shelf, spilled beakers and bloody corpses. Delilah watched it, took another corner and heard the crash behind her as Beta got closer. She heard the giggling as it approached closer and ran harder than she had since her days in Varsity Track. The crashing behind her got worse as Beta attempted to navigate the small cement hallway.

Delilah passed the generator room and considered, for one moment, stopping to turn on the backup power. She knew she couldn't, she wouldn't have time. Anna was more important. Even if she had she would still have to look at Beta, something that no soul could bear to witness. No; it was better to leave Beta in the dark, where it belonged.

Delilah took another dark corner, nearly slipped in something she hoped was not blood and used her shoulder to ram the door to the stairwell open. She ducked inside and leaned against the pneumatic door to close it fast, setting the locking mechanism afterward. It would only buy her a couple of minutes, but maybe it would be enough. She threw off her lab coat, hoping to lose some of her own scent and ascended the stairs quickly to Level Eight; Staff Rooms.

She entered the hallway, with steel doors on each side and ran to Room Five. She opened the door and swung the flashlight around, searching. She saw her nightstand, the bible atop it, a busted lamp and the queen sized bed. It was a simple room, no real places to hide which meant-

"Mommy?" Cried a small voice from the corner of the room.

Delilah put the flashlight beam on the six year old girl huddled in the corner. Delilah ran over to her, sobbing and exhausted. She grabbed her and embraced her and never wanted to let go.

"Anna." She said, almost believing that the girl would disappear at any moment; a cruel dream.

"Mommy?" Anna said gently.

"Yes Baby?"

"Broccoli is scared." Broccoli was Anna's teddy bear. She still wouldn't tell anyone why she named it that, she said it was a secret.

"I know baby." Delilah sobbed. "I'm scared too."

"Who's that?" Anna asked, pointing to the door.

"No. no, no, God please no." Delilah mumbled and turned around, she looked at the figure standing inside the doorframe and nearly collapsed. A security guard stood in the door frame, his SIG pistol on prominent display. He held it skillfully in his hand, pointed it at Delilah and Anna then put it down. The nametag on his clothes said "Clark"

"You two okay?" He asked, his voice deep and gritty. A smoker's voice. He seemed strong but Delilah wasn't concerned about that, the most important thing was he had a weapon and knew the fastest way out of the laboratory.

"We're fine but we need to go." Delilah said, hugging Anna a little tighter, refusing to let her down.

"Why? What's going on?" He asked. He had a big square jaw and angular features hidden under a very short beard. His crew cut hair was hidden beneath a navy blue baseball cap, though his soft eyes were apparent. Delilah would've found him attractive if she wasn't so frightened.

"Something very bad is happening but we can't stop it now. We need to leave." Delilah was getting more goose bumps the longer that they stood talking, she squeezed past in in the doorway. She held Anna against her with one hand and held the flashlight with the other. Clark followed her. "Which way is it to the exit?" She asked him.

"Fastest way is up the stairwell."

"Stairwell is out; Beta could be waiting back there."

"Beta?"

Delilah wasn't supposed to break the confidentiality agreement but the man who made her sign it was long since dead. She figured it didn't matter anymore, though she didn't want to frighten Clark. He seemed strong but he might be a coward, running at the first sign of serious trouble. She was headed to the elevators.

"It's nothing important, just help me get out of here please."

"Well you won't get out of here by the elevators.. They went down with the power." The hallway here was wide and covered in wood paneling and an ugly maroon carpet. It was wide enough that Clark walked beside her now, on the side she was holding Anna.

"Then where?"

"The Fire Exit at the end of the hall. The alarm should be disabled but the door still works." He began to take a pack of Marlboro cigarettes from his pocket, caught the glance from Delilah and put them back. It was better for him that he did anyway. Behind them the door to the stairwell creaked open and the very childlike giggling could be heard again. Clark meant to turn around and look with his flashlight but Delilah tapped on his shoulder.

"No." She whispered, shutting her own flashlight off. "Just move."

"What is that?" He asked.

"Please move." Delilah asked but before she could sart moving to the exit again Clark had already turned around, shining his flashlight down the hall, illuminating the creature that had been busily sniffing at the door of Delilah's room. The giggling stopped and Delilah heard a screech loud and sharp enough to deafen the dead. Anna covered her ears and buried her face in her mother's chest.

"Go!" Delilah screamed over Beta's screeching.

It was awkward running with Anna in her arms but Delilah put her all in it. She was able to see only by the Clark's flashlight now, not having time to flick on her own. She could see the fire exit ahead and hear Beta's thumping behind her. She found herself praying as she hit the door and pushed it open. Clark followed her in and for a second they listened in darkness and silence, before the door crashed opened, sending Delilah and Clark for a tumble down the steep stairs.

Clark didn't get to the third step before his leg broke. He screamed in agony but the next tumble snapped his neck, bending it at a sharp angle. His body rolled the rest of the way in silence. His flashlight broke as well. Delilah had the unfortunate luck of landing on it as she took her own fall. She fell face-first on the landing on the seventh floor, battered and bruised with only one thing on her mind.

Anna. She'd lost her in the fall. She could her Beta above her, giggling and sniffing the air again. She didn't move, tried not to breathe. Maybe Anna escaped, went up the stairs or is-

Something soft on her back. She very quietly reached behind her, grabbed it and pulled it around to her face. It was too dark to see anything but she knew what is was; a very bloody and very ripped teddy bear. Delilah couldn't help herself; she hugged the teddy bear tight to her chest and let out deep sobs as the giggling from the top of the stairs got closer and closer.


	2. Chapter 2: City Streets

"I'm tired. Where is this place?" Eddy complained, his voice whining on and on like a jammed CD that Mary wished she could break. They were walking the very crowded streets of Shanghai at rush hour, a continual stream of well-dressed business men, fat tourists and disruptive youths. At least Eddy would be easy to see in his bright orange Hawaiian shirt and white slacks.

"It's just ahead okay? Stop your droning." Mary told him. She was telling the truth; the small shop where they were meeting the contact was just ahead.

"Don't tell me to stop. You're not my mother." He replied,

"Be glad I'm not. If I was your Mother, you'd be in an orphanage.."

"And if you were my Mother I'd be happy to go."

She ignored him and when she saw the shop ahead, she put a little kick in her step. Eddy fell behind, he seemed in no rush. Mary entered the shop without him. Inside the walls were a dark green wallpaper with small gold pinstripes. Tables of various sizes and styles displayed what could roughly be called antiques. It just seemed to be old, worthless junk but the Tourists paid good money for it. Behind the counter was a Chinese Man wearing a denim jacket, busily sorting through stacks of dusty, age worn books. Mary approached him just as Eddy came through the glass door and into the shop. He caught up with Mary.

"You two are the agents?" The Chinese Man asked plainly, not taking his eyes from the brittle pages of the book in front of him.

"No." Eddy mocked. "We're two tourists who came in off the streets like idiots to purchase this junk you're hawking." He wandered off to mull about the shop's tables, picking up the occasional item before scoffing at it.

The Chinese Man looked and adjusted his horn-rim glasses. He looked at Mary. "Your friend is certainly charming."

"That's not word I would use." Mary said and decided to get to the point. She leaned her elbows on the counter. "You got the info?"

"Yes." The Chinese Man reached below the counter and brought up a manila envelope. "The lab is under the Han-Zsuing Building. Supposedly it's involved in advanced marketing firm for high-end companies but me and you know better, eh? "

"Will there be civilians to deal with?" Mary stood up straight, grabbing the envelope from the countertop.

"No. The building was closed a few days ago for unscheduled restorations. Everyone's cleared out but there's no evidence of construction. Odd, don't you think?" He gave a knowing wink and smiled. The smile quickly disappeared as Eddy begin to remove a very old spear from it's wall mount.

"Hey! That thing's the only antique in here, leave it be." He shouted at Eddy, who obeyed with a mumble. "Idiot. He somehow manages to find the only thing in the shop worth two cents."

"Be glad you caught him before he started swinging it around." Mary said and realized that they'd probably overstayed their welcome. Eddy confirmed this when he tripped over a rug and crashed headlong into a table of ceramic figurines. He hurried outside as the Chinese man grabbed a broom. He probably only meant to sweep the mess up but Mary was taking no chances. She apologized for Eddy and left as soon as she could.

Eddy was outside the store smoking now, staring up at the sky. Mary slapped his arm.

"Ow." He said.

"What the heck was that? Can you behave like an adult for three minutes?"

"Can you loosen the knot in your knickers?"

Mary stared at him. She regretted getting paired with Eddy but the High Brass had commanded it. If the mission wasn't so important she'd abandon him in an alleyway somewhere. No chance for that however, as annoying as he was she needed him.

"Let's just go. The conatct gave me a map. If we take a left on this -" Mary looked around to see Eddy walking off in a seemingly random direction, hands in his pockets and cigarette in his lips. "Where are you going?" She shouted at him as he walked away. No answer but he kept walking. She groaned and followed him.


End file.
